Areas of Concern
Nipigon AOC receives final funding push
While the province and federal government came to the aid of Nipigon, municipalities across the Canadian side of the basin still struggle to find the third of funding for clean up projects expected of them.
Toxic ‘not’ spots
Across the region, heavily polluted and impaired waterways are going unnoticed, despite pleas from citizens to designate their site an Area of Concern. Unfortunately, these appeals are falling on deaf ears. But why would any community want to be deemed a toxic hotspot?
A Great Lakes year
This has been a remarkable year for Great Lakes protection. As 2008 comes to a close, we reflect on some of the achievements citizens and organizations across the region deserve to celebrate.
When is a hotspot no longer a hotspot?
With remediation activity completed, the push is on to delist Torch Lake as an Area of Concern. But with millions of tons of sediment still contaminated, delisting this site before these sediments are buried by natural processes may be hasty.
Great Lakes EPA head fired over cleanup
In May, the head of the Great Lakes region for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency learned an important lesson. Trying to clean up toxic pollution can be hazardous to your job.
Failing grade for Canadian government
After ten years watching the progress of the Canadian federal government, the Office of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, a part of the Auditor General’s Office, issued a report reviewing key problems and recommendations made over the past decade.
Community struggles to upgrade sewage treatment
Behind a high chain link fence lie three rows of hulking circular black metal equipment. These components are meant to upgrade the sewage treatment plant in Nipigon, Ontario, but instead they lie unused while Nipigon’s sewage system continues to dump hundreds of thousands of litres of poorly treated water into the bay each year.
Toxic hotspots too ‘hot’ to talk about
Hidden report in United States is very similiar to a case in Canada a decade ago.
© 2008 Great Lakes News. 
